Coking retort-oven



1. BECKER. y coKlNG REToRT ovEN. APPIICATIiON FILED NOV. 8.1920.

Patented Apr. 12, 19214..

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J. BECKER.

COKING RETOHT OVEN.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 8. 1920.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

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J. BECKER.

COKING RETORT OVEN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1920.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

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lll/II" \\\\\Y m L .sazzo- @a-L25- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BECKER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR '1(0 THE OPPERS COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VAN IA.

COKING RETORT-OVEN.

Specification of Letters Patent. -Patented ApT-f. 12, 1921.

Application leci November 8, 1920. Serial No. 422,422.

To all wlw/m, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BECKER, a citizen of the United Stat, residing in Pittsburvh, in the county of Allegheny and State of ennsylvauia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in 'Coking vRetort- Ovens, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends improvements of general utility in the coking retort oven art; and also comprehends certain improvements especially applicable to coking retort ovens of the well known cross-regenerative type exemplified in the patent to H. Koppers No. 818,033, dated April 17, 1906.

The invention has for objects the provision of a coking retort oven having, as important characteristics: a flue construction that permits a considerable reduction not onlyin the length but also in the cross sec'- tional dimensions of the horizontal or bus flues located at the ltop of the vertical flame flues and connecting a plurality of the latter with each other; a supporting wall construction that provides heavy gas-tight supporting walls not only directly beneath the several heating Walls but also directly beneath the coking chambers with cheokerwork chambers between adj acent supporting walls, such construction permitting individual control of the flow through individual checkerwork chambers and flow under relatively different pressures or of different gaseous media in the checkerwork chambers that are respectively located on the opposite sides of any of said'supporting walls; and, as a fea-ture that may be secured by the above structural improvements, a novel system of control of the flow through the flame flues of the heating walls, permitting iiow in the same direction through all the flame flues of each heating wall, with the result that all the flame iues of each heating wall..a.re either simultaneously 'burning or simultaneously operating' as downflow fines for carrying away the waste gases to outflowl operating regenerators.

With regard to the novel flue construction, for example, a pair of horizontal flues in each heating wall may be substituted for the usual single horizontal vflue which extends from end to end of the heating wall. With a pair of separate horizontal lines, each member of the pair need communicate with only approximately half the total 'number of flues of the heating wall and consequently the dimensions of each flue may be considerablydecreased because of the consequent reduction in the volume of flow which must be maintained through the horizontal flue. The above stated reduction in size of the horizontal iiues is an important advantage for the reasonthat it enables a considerable thickening and strengthening of the walls of the oven structure in the region of the horizontal flues. Moreover, the improved flue construction permits an increase in the height of `the flame ilues, with a corresponding increase in the height of the coking chambers so that the latter may be made narrower in width, a development greatly 'facilitating the coking of high volatile coals, and yet having adequate provision for taking care of the increased volume of combustion products, without making it necessary to enlarge the horizontal flue dimensions to sizes inconsistent with adequate strength of the wall construction in the region of such ilues. The flue construction of the invention is furthermore of great importance in oven batteries tired with eX- traneously-derived gas, such as produ-cer gas, since the employment of such gas re'- sults in an increased volume of combustion products and adequate flue spaces must be provided'to collect and feed to the downlow operating flues this increased volume of combustion products. By the invention, the lue construction may be adequately accommodated to such increased volume of combustion produ-cts, without introducing elements of weakness into the wall structure.

In addition to the objects recited above, the invention comprehends a novel regenerator construction and system of flow therethroughand through the lues, promoting uniformity of distribution, and has for other `objects such other improvements or advanform and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practised, but without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a crosswise vertical section through -a coke' oven battery embodying features above specified and equipped with the improvements of the present invention, the view beingtaken longitudinally through a coking chamber and a pair of regenerators, in planes indicated by the line A-A of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a composite vertical sectional elevation taken longitudinally of a coke oven batterg, in planes indicated by the lines D-D, E- and F-F of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a composite vertical sectional elevation taken ltransversely of a coke oven battery, in planes indicated by the lines B-B and G-C of Fig. 2.

The samecharacters of reference indicate the same parts throughout theseveral views.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the invention is incorporatedy in a combination coke oven battery, e., a battery having provision for being operated either with producer gas as a fuel, or With coke oven gas burned in an atmosphere of ordinary preheated air, such as is utilized in ordinary coke ovens, or With coke oven gas burned in an atmosphere containing both air and a neutral gaseous d iluent Which is introduced into the flame flues separatelyl from the air. A combination coke oven battery having. these features is described and claimed in my application for patent for a coking retort oven filed Aprilv 23, 1920, Serial No. 376,126. For convenience, the present description will be confined to the present illustrated embodiment of the invention in such a combination oven battery; the novel features and improvements made by the invention, are susceptible of other applications, such, for example, as ordinary so-called coke ovens employing coke oven gas as a fuel, or ordinary so-called gas ovens employing producer gas as a fuel; hence, the scope of the invention is not confined to the specific use and specific embodiment herein described as an illustrative example.

Referring to the drawings, there are illustrated views of a coke oven battery or plant of the by-product type, having features above specified; said oven battery embodies in its construction a plurality of crosswise elongated heating Walls 11, 11 and a plurality of intermediate crosswise. elongated vertical coking chambers 12, 12. "The heating Walls 11 form the side Walls of the respective coking chambers 12, as shown Y more particularly in F ig.. 2, and, in the present instance, are directly supported by the. heavy supporting or pillar Walls 13, 13 which extend crosswise of the battery and.

lare located, as shown in Fig. .2, beneath the.

respective heatingyvalls 11,'11. Thes'epillar Walls, together with other walls, hereinafter described, l collectively form,v the main support for the entire super-structure of the oven battery and are themselves supported upon a flat mat or platform which bers during the entire coking or distilling operation. The gases of distillation pass from the tops of the several coking chambers 12 through gas outlets 16 and thence through ascension pipes (not shown) into the usual gas collecting main which carries the distillation products to the by-product recovery apparatus.

Heat for coking the charges of coal the several ovens or chambers 12 is derived from the heating Walls 11, Which, as above mentioned, extend crosswise of the battery at the sides of the coking chambers. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, each heating Wall 11 is constituted of a plurality of flame or combustion flues 17. The Haine flues of each heating Wall are, in accordance with the invention, operatively disposed into a single group, that is to say all of the iiues of each heating Wall operate concurrently as upfloW or doWniioW flues, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. When the flame flues .on one side of a coking chamber are burning, that is to'- say, operating for upiiow, the flame iues on the opposite side of the same coking chamber are operating for dovvnflovv to permit exhaust of the Waste gases. Consequently heating is maintained continuously from end to end on one side of a charge of coking coal in each coking chamber, the

heat being applied to the full length of-one side of such charge during an entire period and, then, after reversal, being applied to the full length of the opposite side of the charge, until a subsequent reversal is effected.

The crosswise regenerators 18 of the retort oven or battery are located in planes beneath the planes of the aforesaid heating Walls 11 and coking chambers 12, and, in the present instance, extend in parallelism between the pillar Walls 13, and the other heavy supporting Walls, hereinafter described. Loca-ted in the middle lengthwise vertical plane of the coke oven battery, is a `-vertical partition 19, as shown in Fig. 1,

which partition extends all the way up l. from the mat of the battery to the bottom of the overlying coking chamber and from one to the other of the pillar walls 13, and the other walls which are between the pillar Walls. The regenerators, which are respectively located on opposite .sides of the battery extend inwardly to said partition 19 and are separated thereby as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This arrangement pei'- mits control from opposite sides of the battery of the flow through the regenerators, thereby assisting the novel flue arrangement in promoting uniformity of distribution. Each regenerator 18 is a chamber containing open brick work, commonly called checker work, and indicated at 20, with a distributing sole channel 21 underneath such checker work, the channels forming the soles of such chambers and opening up into the checker work. In accordance with the invention, a heavy vertical gas-tight supporting wall 22 extends directly beneath the coke chamber in parallelism between each two adjacent pillar walls 13 and such suporting walls 22 provide two regenerators Jr and H located respectively on the opposite sides of such walls 22 and between adjacent pillar walls 13. The several walls 22 also have the function with the pillar walls 13 of supporting the weight of the battery super-structure.

Thisv supporting wall construction provides two series of crosswi'se-extending parallel gas-tight load-carrying walls located below the cokiiig chambers and intermediate heating walls, the supporting walls of one series 13 being directly beneath the heating walls and the supporting walls of the other series 22 being directly beneath the coking chambers. The walls 22 which are beneath the coking chambers'are constructed and function not as mere partitions commonly employed, but as true load-carrying gas-tight walls, permitting relatively different pressures to be maintained in the checkerwork chambers on the opposite sides of such walls, or the flow of different media in the checkerwork chambers separated by these walls, without leakages from one checkerwork chamber into another and without danger of mixing gases in the checkerwork chambers which must be kept separate in this region of the battery.

The regenerators G and H are heated, in alternation, by the hot combustion products that draw off from the flame or combustion flues hereinbefore mentioned and then im part such heat to the medium that they feed into these flame flues; in the present instance, the flow through the regenerators G. H between each two adjacent pillar walls is maintained concurrently in opposite directions, for example, when the flow is passing up through a regenerator G, downflow is being maintained concurrentl through the other regenerator H. Eac regenerator is provided with a series of ducts 23 all of which lead respectively to indi; vidual flame flues 17 of the same heating wall, whereas the ducts 23 of the other regenerator between the same pillar walls 13 'lead respectively to individual flame flues 17 of the next adjacent heating wall, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. With this construction, each flame flue 17 communicates by a pair of ducts 23 with adjacent separate regenerators Il, G and the flow through the regenerators H, which are respectivel located on opposite sides of a pillar wal 13, is maintained concurrently in the same direction, that is to say both said regenerators are either operating for inflow or for outflow.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the entire series of flame flues 17 of each heating wall 11 is either burning or operating for downflow to convey waste products to the regenerators beneath and consequently the regenerators alined on opposite sides of the central longitudinal parti tion 19 operate concurrently for flow in the same direction and in the same manner. The reversal in flow through the flame flues 17 on opposite sides of a coking chamber, and their communicably connected regenerators may thus be said to take place longitudinally of the oven battery, instead of transversely thereof, as has heretofore been a common practice in this art. The reversal of the oven is effected at the end of an 'operating period determined by practice, and by means of any preferred type of reversing mechanism. The function of' such reversal is as follows: The regenerators that prior to the reversal operated as inflow regenerators become outflow regenerators, and the outflow operating regeneratorsvbecome inflow operatingregenerators; the upburning` series of flue switches function.

with the downburning series of flues of the next adjacent heating wall, and the supply ofv gas is turned off from the previously upburning flues and turned on into the mains of the previously downburning flues.

Each liame flue 17 of each heating wall has at its top a port or opening 24 for draft and the passage of combustion products or waste gas from the flame within the flue. These ports 24 open up into horizontal or bus flues 25 formed in the heating walls and connecting all of the vertical flues that communicate with such horizontal flues 25 by means of the ports 24. According to the invention, there are in each heating wall a plurality of, in the present instance, two of such horizontal flues 25 positioned end to end with respect to each other and respectively located on opposite sides of the central dividing line L. By vreason of the fact that there is a plurality of such horip zontal flues 25, these flues 25 are not required to be of so great capacity as that -necessary in present practice and consequently the cross-sectional area of each horizontal flue 25 .may be materially reduced n tal ues. Moreover, because of the fact that v being an access -flame or vcombust1on flue of each heating each horizontal flue 25 communicates with a substantially reduced number of vertical flues, in the present instance, half of the flues of a heating wall, uniformity in distribution of the flow through the vertical flues and the communicating regenerators is greatly promoted.

As shown in Fig. 3,-each such horizontal flue 25 tapers from its middle toward its opposite ends in such manner that the smallest cross-sectional areas of each flue are located at its opposite extremities. The tapering channel thus formed serves to distribute the flow e ually through the several vertical fliies 1 with which such channel communicates. As shown, the two horizontal fines 25 of each heating wall are communicably connected by means of passageways 26 respectively with the corresponding horizontal flues of one of the next adjacent heating walls. These channels 26 preferably open up into substantially the middle port1ons of their respective connected flues 25, as shown in Fig. 3, and extend longitudinally of the oven battery, asl

shown in Fig. 2. Thus the .entire flow from a heating wall, within the flues of which combustion is. being maintained passes through and. downwardly through all of the flues of the next adjacent heating wall and each reversal operation is accompanied by a reversal in directionkinflow of all of the flues of each heating wall.

The draft through the ports 24 may be regulated by means of the usual movable dampers or sliding bricks 27, positioned in the ordinary way in the bottoms of the horizontal flues 25 and adapted to be reached by access flues 28 which extend from the top of the horizontal flues 25 in each heating wall to the to 15 of the battery, there ue positioned over each wall. y

Extending crosswise of the battery in each pillar wall 13' and located beneath the heating wall 11 thereabove, is a air of gassupply channels 29 and 30. hese channels 29 and 30 are for the purpose of supplying coke oven gas to the several flame flues on each side of the central line L, and to accomplish this end, the channel 29 communicates with the individual flues 17 on the near side of said line L by means of ducts 31 that lead from such channel 29 individuallyinto the bottoms of individual flues; and the channel 30 which supplies the several flues that are located on the far Side of the aforementioned dividingline L com- '.municates therewith by means of similarly connecting ducts. Within the several ducts are disposed the usual nozzles 32. The supply of coke oven gas to the respective channels 29 and 30 is derived from coke oven gas 'mains of the usual type and respectively' located on the opposite sides of the battery and extending, longitudinally therealong. Suitable means is provided for admitting or cutting ofiI the supply of gas with respect to each pair of channels 29 and 30, it being understood that the gas supply is either concurrently maintained or concurrently shut off from both channels of each pair. For operating the battery alternatively with the use of a special generator gas, such as producer gas as a fuel, the several regenerators H may be optionally connected with a producer gas main, by mechanism such as is disclosed in my beforementioned application Serial No. 37 6,126, so that the producer gas may be directed into such of the regenerators as are operating for inflow and conveyed through these regenerators into burning flame flues 17.

The operation of the retort oven or bati tery, when using a speci-al generator gas, such as ordinary producer gas as a fuel, is as follows: The supply of coke oven gas to the 'coke oven gas main and to all of 'the coke oven gas channels 29, 30 is cut off. A supply of producer gas is permitted to flow into thev alternate regenerators H, such as are. operating for inflow and passing through said regenerators is preheated before being delivered into the burning flame and concurrently the outflow' operatingv re-v generators become inflow regenerators.

In operat' the battery with coke oven gas in the or inary'manner, the suppl of producer gas to alternate regenerators H is shut off and air is permitted to flow into such regenerators in place of 'the producer gas. During coke oven gas operation, a su ply of coke oven gas is maintained in theo els 29 and 30 which feed the upburning lines. The reversing mechanism is operated at each reversal to place all of the inflow operating regenerators in' communication with the outer air and concurrently all of the outflow operating regenerators in communication with the exhaust. A. further mode of operation is with coke oven gas as a fuel, combined with a supply of neutral gaseous diluent to the upburning flues. In so operating the battery, the supply of producer gas is turned off and the supply'of coke oven gas is ,turned on.4 Instead however of permitting air to flow into altemateregenerators of the series H that serve for producer gas, during the latter operation, Waste gas is permitted to flow into such regenerators and be delivered thereby to the upburning flame flues. The admission into each of the upburning lues of a supply off the neutral gaseous diluent, such as Waste gas, is effective to lengthen greatly the flames Within such lues and to prevent the localization of the hottest ame temperature in the eXtreme lower portions of the flues.

The invention as hereinabove set forth .is embodied in a particular form of' construction but may be variously embodied Within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I claim 1. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers; heating Walls contiguous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues; tapered horizontal iiucs in each heating wall and respectively=-connect ing a plurality of the combustion iues of their respective heating Walls; the horizontal flues being also communicably connected With the corresponding horizontal flues 'of an adjacent heating wall; individually regulable and reversible crossWise-eXtending regenerators parallel with the co-king chamber and the heating Walls, such regenerators being communicably connected in pairs with combustion flues of a single heating Wall; and means for separately controlling the individual flow through individual regenerators and their connected groups of combustion flues; substantially as speciiied.

2. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers; heating Walls 'contiguous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion fines; horizontal flues in each heating Wall and respectively connecting a plurality of the combustion dues of their respective heating Walls; the horizontal iues being also communicably connected with the corresponding horizontal iues of an adjacent heating wall; individually regulable and reversible crossW-ise-extending regenerators parallel With the coking chamber and the heating Walls, such regenerators being communicably connected in pairs with combustion lues ofv a single heating Wall; and means for separably controlling the individual flow through individual regenerators and their connectedA groups of `combustion fluesgsubstantiallyl as specified.

heating Wall and respectively connecting a plurality ofthe combustion flues of their respective heating Walls; the horizontal iiues being also communicably connected with the corresponding horizontal fines of an adjacent heating Wall; individually regulable and reversible regenerators, said regenerators being communicably connected in pairs With combustion flues ofl a single heating Wall; and. means for separately controlling the individual flow through individual regenerators and their connected groups of combustion lines; substantially as speciied.

4. In a 'coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers; heating Walls contiguous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion lues; a plurality of tapered horizontal collecting lues in each heating Wall and respectively connecting a plurality of the combustion flues of their respective heating Walls; the horizontal liues being also communicably connected With the corresponding horizontal lues of an adjacent heating Wall; and regenerators communieating with said combustion lues; substantially as specified.

5. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers; heating Walls contiguous to such colcing chambers and respectively constituted of vertical -combustion lines; a plurality of horizontal collecting flues in each heating Wall and respectively connecting a plurality of the combustion lues of their respective heating Walls; the horizontal flues being also communicably connected With the corresponding horizontal flues-of an adjacent heating Wall; and regeneratcrs Icommunicating with said combustion flucs; substantially as specified.

6. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers; heating Walls contiguous to such coking rchambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion i'lues; a pair of horizontal collecting fiues in cach heatin .Wall and respectively connecting a plurality of the combustion {iues of their respective heating Walls; the horizontal flue-s being also communicably connected with the corresponding horizontal flues of an adjacent heating Wall; and regenerators communieating with said combustion lues; substantially as specified.

7. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of coking chambers; heating walls contiguous t0 such cokmg chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues operable reversibly for upfiow and downflow; all of the combustion iues of a heatingv Wall being communicably connected with the combustion fines of an adjacent heating wall; and crosswise-extending regenerators parallel wlth the coking chamber and the heatlng wall, said reenerators communicating with such comustion fiues; nsubstantially as specified. 8. In a coke oven battery, in combination: a lurality of coking chambers; heatlng wa ls conti uous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues; individually regulable and reversible crosswise-extending regenerators A arallel with the coking chamber and the iieating walls; said regenerators being grouped into pairs reversible longitudinally of the battery, and each pair of such regenerators being communicably connected with combustion iues of a single heating wall; and means for separately controlling the individual flow through individual reenerators and their connected combustion ues; substantially as specified.

9. In a coke oven battery, in combination: a lurality of coking chambers; heating wa ls conti ous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of vertical cornbustion iues, allof the combustion flues of a heatin wall being communicably connected with the combustion fiues of an adjacent heating wall; individually regulable and reversible crosswise-extending regenerators parallel with the coking chamber and the heating walls; said regenerators being grouped into pairs reversible longitudinally of the battery, and each pair of such regenerators being communicably connected with combustion flues of a single heating wall; and means for separately controlling the individual fiow through individual regenerators land their connected combustion flues; substantially as specified. 10. In a coke oven battery, in combinai tion: a plurality of coking chambers; heat- 50 ing walls contiguous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues, all of the combustion fiues of a heating wall being communicably connected with the combustion flues of an adj acent heating wall; and individually regulable and reversible crosswise-extending regenera-y tors parallel with the coking chamber and the heating walls, said regenerators being located on opposite sides of the battery and being grouped into pairs reversible longitudinally of the battery, each pair of such regener.

ators being communicably connected with combustion flues of a single heating wall; substantially as specified.

-.11. In a coking retort oven, in combination a plurality of coking chambers; heating walls contiguous to such coklng chambers and respectivelyv constituted of vertical combustion fines; a plurality of horizontal iiue's in reach heating wall, the horizontal fines respectively connecting a plurality of the combustion flues of their respective heating walls, each horizontal flue being tapered toward its opposite ends from a portion of such iue between such ends and the horizontal flues being also communicably connected with other horizontal ues; and regenerators communicating with said combustion flues; substantially as specified.

12. In acoking retort oven, in combinationza plurality of coking chambers; heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues; a plurality of horizontal fiues in each heating wall, the horizontal fines respectively connecting a plurality of the combustion liues of their respective heating walls, each horizontal. flue being tapered from its middle portion toward its opposite ends and the horizontal flues being also communicably connected at their said middle portions with the corresponding horizontal flues of an adjacent heating wall; substantially as specified.

13. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a plurality of colring chambers; heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers and respectively constituted of' vertical combustion fines; two horizontal flues in each heating wall, such fines bein positioned end-to-end with respect to eac other and respectively connecting substantially half of the combustion flues of the heating wall, each horizontal flue being tapered toward its opposite ends from a portion of such iue between such ends and the horizontal iues being also communicably connected with other horizontal fines; and regenerators communicating with said combustion flues; substantially as specified.

14. In a coking retortpoven, in combina-- tion: a plurality of parallel crossWise-extending coking chambers; intermediate heating walls contiguous to such coking chambers and parallel therewith; two series of crosswise-extending parallel gas-tight supporting w'alls located below the coking chambers and intermediate heating walls, the supporting walls of one series being directly beneath the heating walls and the supporting walls of the other series being directly beneath `the coking chambers; and checkerwork chambers between adjacent supporting walls; substantially as specified..

15. In a colring retort oven, in combination: a series of coking chambers; heating walls Aintermediate the coking chambers and each having a plurality of vertical iiameflues disposed in groups; a connection conjoining coking chambers, the ues of each group in each heating-wall and the ues of a corresponding group in an adjacent heating-wall; and series ofregenerators below and parallel with thecoking chambers and heatmg-walls and arranged to provide for concurrent inflow to and outflow from alterae heating-walls; substantially as speci- 16. In combination with a coking chamber, flued heating walls respectively constitutng the opposite side walls of said coking 'by duct means extendin over the top of the chamber2 the ues of the heating vvalls being commumcably connected with each other 15 coking chamber, reversi 1e means for maintaining combustion in alternation in said heating walls, the exhaust gases produced by the combustion in one heating wall being drawn 'oli' through the other, and reversible regenerators respectively connected with said heating Walls; substantially as specified.

JOSEPH BECKER. 

